One programming note before we begin: Next week's P.O. Sox will take shape in its classic form, as Josh and I are back on Monday for the first of two December episodes of the Sox Machine Podcast to close out the year.
As always, thanks for supporting Sox Machine and sending your questions. If you're new to Patreon, be on the lookout for a (so-far) weekly post requesting your question. You can also email/tweet/etc., at any point, as long as it's possible for me to match up those accounts with your Patreon info to verify.
From Steve B:
Are there any potential Rule 5 draft candidates that you think would be targets for the Sox? My thorough research (consisting of reading an article on MLB Pipeline) drew me to guys like Tyler Jay or Art Warren in relief, Forrest Wall as a speedy sub, or perhaps Richie Martin as a backup infielder.
The Rule 5 pool seems deepest in the infield, which happens to be one of the few areas of depth for the White Sox. It's hard to see a roster with Yolmer Sanchez and Jose Rondon on it -- and Leury Garcia, too -- and see ways for guys like Kean Wong and Martin to stick.
The same thing can be said about lefty relievers. Maybe Jay would have appeal in other seasons, but with Jace Fry, Aaron Bummer, Caleb Frare and Kodi Medeiros already warranting 40-man spots, they're not wanting for talented lefties (and Ian Clarkin is back on the scene, too).
Garcia's roster spot could be key, because theoretically his skill set could be covered by somebody like Wall or Atlanta prospect Ray-Patrick Didder, who are five and four years younger, respectively. I mean, looking at the last two years, Adam Engel has provided an incredible simulation of carrying a Rule 5 pick as a center fielder. That probably means the Sox would rather have a clear upgrade than another year lost to somebody failing to tread water, but maybe it means they've built up a callus.
(The White Sox picked a center fielder last year in Carlos Tocci, but traded him to the Rangers. He hit .225/.271/.283 with zero homers and zero stolen bases over 135 plate appearances, and wasn't a lot of fun to watch or think about.)
Otherwise, I guess I'd bet on the Sox passing on the pool unless there's a right-handed reliever Don Cooper likes, or they'd like to stash an injured guy like Jake Gatewood for a year and see what happens. But if the Sox are active in free agency, all the better uses of the 40-man spot required until 60-day DL opens for the season are probably already in the house.
From Asinwreck:
Will the Sox try to sign Yusei Kikuchi? How well would his game translate to Sox Park?
For those who haven't been following the international pool, Kikuchi is a 27-year-old lefty who will be posted by the Seibu Lions on Dec. 3.
There haven't been any direct connections between the White Sox and Kikuchi, and my impression is that there are too many things in the way to get hopes up. Kikuchi doesn't have a great track record when it comes to durability, with shoulder problems limiting his stuff last year. Also, Scott Boras is representing him, and the Sox have no inherent advantages when it comes to courting Japanese players, so it seems like an obstacle course through and through.
That said, it seems like he'd make any team better. The fastball-slider combination from the left side seems legit as long as he can spin an American baseball the same way. The club acquiring him will probably have modest expectations of a third starter who won't make 30 starts. A team needing 200 innings to truly capitalize on the signing would probably want to look elsewhere.
From Andrew Segall:
Which team will ultimately regret their move the most: the Sox, for trading Sale, or the Cubs, for what they traded to obtain Quintana?
Probably the Cubs, although it's kind of a process of elimination. The White Sox lacked the imagination, the financial flexibility and/or the willingness to make the team good enough to get Chris Sale to the postseason, based on the last team they put around him. While I don't normally question desire when it comes to the ultra-competitive business of baseball, letting Robin Ventura see the end of his contract and (at least superficially) giving him the option to continue suggests winning wasn't the top priority.
With the Quintana deal, the Sox would've needed him to be an All-Star for the team to work, and he seems to have lost that form, so no regrets there. But the stability he brings remains, and he's provided that value to the Cubs when Tyler Chatwood and Yu Darvish flopped in their first seasons. If Theo Epstein didn't trade Eloy Jimenez for Quintana, he would've probably sent him to another team for another pitcher, and given some of his swings and misses, it's not a guarantee that they could have cashed him in for a better production.
If Jimenez hits, it'll be mildly annoying for the Cubs to have that production happening in the same town, but they still have the market share, mind share and oxygen. It'll probably be a few years before the Cubs would regret dealing Dylan Cease. As we've seen with Lucas Giolito, Alec Hansen, Dane Dunning, Michael Kopech, etc., plenty of hurdles remain before the Sox can truly count their winnings. If the Cubs have any regrets there, maybe it's that they didn't wait a year for a chance to deal him as a headliner of a separate package.
